POPULATION
CONTROL  WHERE HAS THE STRATEGY FALTERED ?K.
Venkatasubramanian

The
Registrar-General of India recently disclosed the population figures that
should frighten us all. By 2016, less than 20 years from now, the population
will be 1.26 billion making India the most populous country. If the mass
literacy programmes go on at the present dismal pace, half the population
will be illiterate and more than 380 million unemployed. To quote Tavleen
singh, columnist, "our Country will be reduced to the metaphorical
equivalent of a garbage heap crawling with millions of illiterate undernourished,
people."

Should
we not be demanding a special ministry for population control and a separate
education ministry taken away from the amalgam of Human Resource Development?
Should not these two Ministries be given the same importance as Defence
or External Affairs?

The
population and literacy problems are restricted to  Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. While Kerala and Tamil Nadu have
already achieved the target birth rate or 21 per 1,000 the four States
will take between 50 and 100 years to achieve it; Bihar in 2039, Rajasthan
in 2048, Madhya Pradesh in 2060 and Uttar Pradesh in 2100.

In
my research thesis, "Education and Economic Development, I have established
the link between education and fertility.

The
last census report indicates that illiterate women have the largest number
of children [4.4]. A woman who has studied up to class 10 produces an
average of three children and for a graduate, the figure goes down to
2.3. In the North , the average rate of womens literacy hovers between
20 and 30 per 100 and could be even lower if the ability to sign oness
name alone is not a criterion. Thus even from the developmentr angle,
population has a real impact.

On
the population policy, the following observations of two demographers
deserve mention :

D.Banerji
says, "Our family welfare programme should not degenerate into a
body snatching sterilization progranme," relying on hitech methods
of sterilization and use of money power in the name of motivation. An
analysis of the demographic scene and the working of the family planning
programmes in the past three decades leads us to believe that we are still
on the wrong track. Reeling out figures on targets and achievements, on
births averted and harping on the magic number of NRR of unity by 2000
A.D.will not lead us anywhere. There is no short-cut to population stabillisation.
Development is indeed the best contraceptive. We must move away from the
cold calculus of aggregate numbers and move to people in flesh and blood.
Our masses will not let us down if we do not let them down.

The
population of a country is both an asset and liability. And hence, its
place in the economic development is significant. The empirical evidence
of various countries has shown that the population growth of a region
and its economic development are closely related.

India
has been a victim of population growth. Although the country has achieved
progress in the economic field, the population growth has eroded the growth
potential. The population nearly quadrupled in 90 years, from 238.3 millions
in 1901 to 840 millions in 1991.

The
need to check the population growth was realized by a section of the intellectual
elite even before independence. Birth control was accepted by this group
but implementation was restricted to the Westernised minority in the cities
. When the country attained independence and planning was launched, population
control became one of the important items on the agenda of development.
The draft outline of the First Five Year Plan said, "the increasing
pressure of population on natural resources retards economic progress
and limits seriously the rate of extension of social services, so essential
to civilized existence. A population policy is therefore essential to
planning." This policy emphasized three components: fertility, mortality
and migration. The policy incorporates programmes for reducing mortality.
Even for migration, we have policies. But it is the fertility change which
contributes to a spectacular population change.

The
First Five Year Plan also emphasized the reduction in fertility and gave
it the top slot in the Family Planning Programme. India, in fact was one
of the earliest countries to implement a full fledged family planning
programme launched by the state. The planning commission called for all
steps to promote family planning. It was acknowledged that progress depended
on creating a sufficiently strong motivation in favour of family planning
in the minds of the people and on providing advice and service through
acceptable, efficient, harmless and economic methods. With this end in
view, the plan set out these objectives:

To obtain an accurate
picture of the factors which contribute to a rapid increase of population;

To gain a fuller
understanding of human fertility and the means of regulating it;

To devise speedy
ways of education of the public; and

To make family
planning counselling an integral part of the services in hospitals and
health centers.

In
order to achieve these objectives, Rs 15 lakhs was earmarked in the plan
and a Research and Programme Committee appointed.

The
committee comprised two sub-committees, one on socio-economics and cultural
studies and the other on biological and qualitative aspects of population.
As many as 126 urban and 21 rural family planning clinics were set up.

The
Second Five Year Plan gave an even more prominent place to population
assessment. A national programme launched had four main components:

Education to create
the background of contraceptive acceptance;

Service through
rural and urban centers, including the provision of sterilization facilities;

Training of personnel;
and

Research.

The
Third, Fourth and Fifth plans also laid emphasis on the population policy
and its implementation through family planning. The expenditure on population
control in the Second Plan was Rs. 2.16 crores, in the Third Rs.284 crores
and rose to Rs.497 crores in the Fifth.

By
family planning, we mean planned parenthood which is nothing but a conscious
limitation or spacing of children within the economic limits of the family
in order to create happy homes. The programme seeks to promote responsible
parenthood, with a two-child norm, through an independent choice of the
family planning method best suited to the acceptor.

The
important aspects of the programmes are:

First,
it is voluntary. It is promoted as a peoples movement in keeping
with the democratic traditions of the country. The people should be persuaded
and not compelled to adopt the small family norm.

Secondly,
in course of time, Family planning became Family Welfare.

Thirdly,
various methods of birth control have been advocated by the Government.
Mention may be made of sterilization, IUCD,conventional contraceptive,
of which Nirodh formed a major part. Free facilities are made available
in all health centers.

Fourthly,
financial incentives are given for accepting Family planning. These include
cash given to the acceptors and an advance increment to government employees.

Fifthly,
medical personnel and public health workers have been specifically trained.

The
total number of acceptors increased from 7,153 in 1956 to 1,68,30,000.
A similar trend can be seen in the case of sterilization, IUCD and CC
users. The targets were also achieved during the Eighties. Thus, the family
planning programme has done a good job of controlling the population growth.
Over 58 million couples [41.9 per cent of those in the reproductive age
group15-44] were protected against conception as on March 31, 1989. Consequently
the number of deaths averted has been on the increase.

The
Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act was passed in 1922 on the basis of
the recommendations made by the B.Shantilal Shah committee. An event of
great significance is the declaration by the United Nations of 1974 as
the World Population Year and the United Nations World Population Conference
at Bucharest , Romania. The major theme that emerged from the Bucharest
meeting was that population policy and programme must be pursued in the
context of development and that population growth and development were
integrated. This idea was reflected in the National Population Policy
of India [1976], whose important components were:

The Government
proposed legislation to raise the minimum age of marriage. The child
marriage Restraint Act 1921, [popularly known as the Shardha Act] prescribed
15 as the minimum age for girls and 18 for boys. This Act was amended
and the age of marriage was raised to 18 and 21. The policy provided
that if this provision was violated, severe punishment would be awarded
by an officer not below the rank of sub-divisional magistrate. The question
of making the registration of marriages compulsory was also considered.

Sterilisation was
compulsory but it was left to the States to have their own legislation.
The upper limit of a family was three children, applicable to all citizens
without distinction of caste, creed or religion.

Family planning
had a political impact also. A fall in population reduced the number
of seats in parliament. This affected the interests of the States, which
were not keen to implement the programme. The population policy stipulated
that the representation in the Lok Sabha be frozen on the basis of the
1971 population till 2001. This meant that the census of 1981 and 1991
would not be considered for the adjustment of the Lok Sabha seats .
Constitutional amendments were made for this purpose.

Central Government
assistance to the States was linked to the population of 1971 for the
next 25 years. This inspired the State Governments to effectively implement
family planning programmes. According to the formula, 60 percent of
the plan assistance was given on the basis of the population of 1971.Eight
percent of the Central assistance was specifically set aside for performance
in family planning.

The monetary compensation
for sterilization was raised to Rs. 150 if performed after two children,Rs.100
after three children and Rs.70 after four or more.

The Government
announced special measures to raise the level of the womens education
in all States.

Group incentives
to medical parctitioners, teachers at various levels, co-operative societies
and zilla and panchayat samithis were proposed. In order to rope in
voluntary agencies, a rebate was given in income tax for amounts donated
for family planning to the local bodies or any registered voluntary
organization approved for this purpose. The population policy sought
to make necessary changes in the service and conduct rules of Central
Government employees to make them adopt the small family norm.

The
sixth plan which incorporated all these features said the population policy
should reflect concern for the individual as well as the communitys
dignity, needs and aspirations and should be such as would deal with overall
development issues and not merely population control. High priority was
given to progress involving social restructuring.

Another
significant [land] mark is the report of the Panning Commission Working
Group on the population policy in 1980. The group laid down a long-term
goal of a Need Reproductive Rate [NRR] of one on an average for the whole
country by 1996 and in all States by 2001. The group suggested these strategies:
(1) Developing the necessary level of demand and (2) Provisions of the
supply of services of all kinds needed by the people. The group identified
that health care, education, water supply, employment, per capita income
, and urbanization be linked to fertility control. It also highlighted
the need for the creation of an extensive data base and a comprehensive
health information system.

The
Government reviewed the policy and laid down these guidelines for future
implementation.

Adoption of the
small family norm would continue to be promoted entirely
on a voluntary basis.

Intensified efforts
would be made to spread awareness and information of this concept by
effective and imaginative use of multimedia and interpersonal communication
strategies.

Couples could choose
whatever method was suitable to them.

Services would
be extended as close to the doorstep as possible.

The programme would
continue to be an integral part of health care and socio-economic development
efforts.

Facilities and
efforts for rapid increase in female literacy would be intensified and
expanded.

Population education
would be extended to all youth-both students and non-students. It would
be introduced in all the workerseducation curriculum and training
programmes conducted by Government agencies\department and by the organized
sector.

Elected representatives
at all levels would be closely associated with the programme and given
all encouragement and support.

Link with the Ministers
and departments would be strengthened.

Laws relating to
the minimum age at marriage would be effectively enforced.

Maintenance of
records of all marriages at the village or community level would be
under taken.

Since there are
differences in situations and achievements among the various States
and areas, a selective "area-specific" approach would be followed
with special attention to West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya
Pradesh.

Close monitoring
and follow-up would be ensured at all levels. Steps would be taken in
consultation with the State Governments, to tune up the administrative
machinery and improve motivation and accountability of staff at the
field level.

The
concern of the Government to control population growth deserves appreciation.
Its concerted efforts were responsible for reducing the population growth
to some extent. Perhaps, the population of today would have exceeded that
of China. The Government has created the infrastructure for family planning
and set up institutions for training and research. Thanks to its efforts,
the whole country today is aware of family planning. There has been an
appreciable fall in the birth rate also. The new National Population Policy
of 1976 is a comprehensive statement and it integrates all the essential
aspects of population growth. As J.R.Rele and Asha Bhende observed, "it
was probably for the first time that any country in the World has made
a population policy statement which was fairly comprehensive."

The
shift in the policy towards an integrated approach is also appreciable.
The dramatic solutions offered by the new policy are in the right direction.
The policy has evoked the support of intellectuals, demographers and politicians
all over the country. However, the policy has slipped somewhere. Its impact
on the ultimate objective of reducing the birth rate has been rather insignificant
which only shows the limited effect of the family planning programme.
The programme has not received whole-hearted community support and participation.
Poverty and illiteracy have neutralized the measures of the Government.
The eluding issues have not been taken up for research.

Another failure is
that the family planning programme has been made an appendage of the health
programme. The bureaucratic influence and non-recognition to technocrats
in the implementation of the policy has been another adverse factor in
this regard. The progress of India hinges on a controlled growth of population
and if the growth of economy is not to be curtailed, the only solution
lies in the effective implementation of the population policy in the near
future.